A true friend Lets you pour out your heart Without judgment Without trying to fix what’s wrong Holds you when you cry  Hugs you when you’re happy A true friend Laughs at the same jokes Cries at the same movies Gets mad about the same injustices Shares the same attitudes and values A true friend…

We all have flaws, yes? Those pesky parts that demonstrate Our humanness The parts that make us Crimson with shame When we realize they have been revealed to others Our thoughtlessness Our ego-driven self-centeredness Our inability to be charitable, kind, considerate, empathetic On a day when we’re overloaded, overwhelmed, Over everything and everybody Who is…

Seems like everyone I know Is facing some shifting right now New jobs, new places to live, new possibilities Exciting and good With one thing in common: change One friend and her husband are considering selling their home Another is looking at a new job possibility A third is contemplating returning to school Is this…

At the corner of my mind I see a scrub jay Nipping at cat food In a red plastic bowl Bright blue bird Shining iridescent At the corner of my mind, I hear an old farm truck Whining around curves   On the National Forest Road Red rusty rig Clamoring incessant At the corner of my mind…

Sitting at the airport Mid-afternoon Watching parents with kids One father four kids in tow settles his gaggle In a nearby row of chairs His littlest son whispers in his ear The father sighs “Come on, everybody” Off they march Like good little soldiers In single file Ten minutes later They return The bathroom mission…

I place myself in the loving arms Of Mother Mary A woman who has known Risk, love, and loss I am her child as well Nestled close enough To smell the sweetness of her hair To feel the warmth of her body To hear her gentle breathing, in and out Dear Mother, how afraid you…

My three-year-old granddaughter Likes to always have a toy in her hand A dinosaur A bunny A bear Something to clutch To keep her feeling grounded and safe I wonder what it is That keeps me grounded and safe? Love of my family Faith in God My dogs We all need something A touchstone To…

Today, I made honey-sweetened chocolate buttercream frosting For a homemade vanilla cake sweetened with maple sugar. Our little Luna, our first grandchild, turns nine tomorrow. Our family gathered in Griffith Park for a picnic celebration this morning. We ate turkey sandwiches, put pimento cheese on rice cakes, munched on chips. Then off we went on…

Today I listened to a podcast on self-actualization AKA, operating from our higher selves I love this stuff Who doesn’t want to be self-actualized? I learned that Abraham Maslow didn’t pick someone famous As his model for the most self-actualized person he’d ever known No, he picked his mother-in-law Hmmm. I can see my sons-in-law…

“Take a step,” my own voice whispers. “You can’t stay here. Life is over there, beyond the now, smiling at you.” A red-tailed hawk glides through the indigo sky. “Come,” it sings, “Life is an adventure. Don’t be afraid.” Turquoise water glistens far below as I step onto the long, rickety rope bridge. I feel…